For this week’s Free Game Friday we have no less than seven games to give away as a bumper prize bonanza. As good things quite often come in seven, it got me thinking about the seven wonders of the world and, more specifically, how they are all starting to look pretty dated. I mean, come on, how useful is a giant pyramid these days? Can it run Crysis 2? I think not.. And the hanging gardens of Babylon? My mum has a hanging basket at the front of her house, and I know for a fact that it doesn’t have WiFi, so what’s the point?

Anyway, it’s because of this thinking that I’ve decided we need to set the record straight and announce the real seven wonders of the world. No, I don’t think we need to include tall buildings, long bridges or, I don’t know, boats (or something), we need to select 7 technological wonders of the world that have had a real effect on our lives. Things that we seriously couldn’t live without, that are truly wonders of our world.

So, we are giving away a bundle of seven games in this week’s competition. To enter, simply answer the following question and we’ll choose someone at random

So here’s the question: What in your opinion should be selected to be in the Seven Wonders of the Tech World? What I’m looking for is your thoughts on a piece of technology that is around today that has really had a significant impact in our everyday lives, or is simply stupidly impressive. This can be anything from a mobile phone to space rockets, but I’d like to know which item specifically, no generalisations please.

There it is, let me know what you’d like to see in the Seven Technological Wonders of the World in the comments below and, if picked, you’ll win a copy of Shogun Total War 2, Crysis 2, Stalker: Call of Pripyat, Dirt 2, Lost Planet 2, Operation Flashpoint Red River and Medal of Honor. That’s a game per wonder, can’t really say fairer than that, can you?

The winner will be announced on Friday and the Seven Wonders of the World will be announced next week, so get going and best of luck!

This is the first post in a long and glorious series (I hope) covering classic gaming titles and their modern counterparts, looking into which game at the time of release had more of an impact, which one was more enjoyable and which one I’d just love to be able to play from fresh all over again.

Now before I get started I need to make an important point. This isn’t a comparison between an old game and a new game, this is a comparison of the old game when it was first released compared to the new game on release. I’ll be looking into the quality of the sound and graphics for the time, not as a direct comparison.

The original Call of Duty was launched back in 2003 in response to the success of titles such as Medal of Honour and Battlefield: 1942, and was met with huge critical acclaim. The feeling of comradeship you held for your fellow squad mates, the tinge of fear that struck when caught in an ambush and the sheer feeling of exposure or vulnerability was something that I hadn’t felt in a game before. The first mission I played was from the demo, taken from the 2nd mission in the game, and is a great example of the set piece battles that the series is now famous for. Waking up on the streets of St. Mere Eglise following last night’s drop on Normandy, you’re greeted with machine gun fire as a Panzer bursts through the wall across the street. “Wake it, shake it, the German’s are bringing you coffee!” is the only warning you get before enemy Paratroopers start swarming over your position. What follows is frantic dash to your MG in a destroyed Church to repulse the first attack, jinking from cover to cover to get some Bazooka fire onto the tank and working with your terrified squadmates to hold onto the town. It’s non-stop action throughout the American missions, focussing on the 101st Airborne’s assault on Normandy, and keeps you riveted to your screen throughout.

Now the real beauty of the game is how Activision let you play three interlinked campaigns throughout the game, a far cry from the one track story line of Medal of Honour, and something that has stuck throughout the Call of Duty series since. If you love the way Modern Warfare jumps between characters and storylines then you have the original COD to thank. The opportunity to fight as the 101st Airborne, as a Russian conscript (starting without a weapon and having to scavenge from your fallen comrades) and the British Airborne assaulting Pegasus Bridge is too good to miss. Mixing in true to history events (such as fore mentioned Pegasus bridge, as well as Stalingrad, St. Mere Eglise, etc) alongside the usual battle scenes is incredible, and truly make this one of the games that I have enjoyed more than any other. Couple this with a fantastic multiplayer and you have a title that is deserving to be the grandfather of Modern Warfare 2. But, is it any better?

I picked up Modern Warfare 2 on the day of launch, which is great indicator for how much I was looking forward to it. Until World at War (I loved that game..) I’d found the Call of Duty titles had become stale. The original was fantastic, as was the expansion United Offensive (focussing on the Ardennes campaign, for the Americas at least), yet things went downhill for 2 and 3. The Modern Warfare series reignited my interest in Call of Duty, so Modern Warfare 2 was probably one of the most anticipated games for many years. Needless to say, the final product lived up to the hype.

So, what had an impact on me? The single player game was superb, with believable characters, well crafted set-pieces, accurately modelled weapons, explosions, changes of scenery, incredibly addictive co-op play, and some pretty good multiplayer (I personally don’t enjoy the frantic MW2 multiplayer and find games such as Battlefield Bad Company 2’s multiplayer far more satisfying). There were a few moments in the game that really stood out, namely the ice climbing and final riverside scene, so it’s something that has a very good replay value. Yet it’s in the Co-op mode that I really enjoyed myself, particularly when defending an objective from attack or stealthing it behind enemy lines with support from a Spectre gunship. Great fun, and incredibly addictive.

However, in writing this review I’ve been struck by something regarding MW2. Whilst in COD I can remember several battles, moments, set pieces or even lines from the characters (“Wake it, shake it!”, a line I still use today..), with MW2 I’m struggling to remember just a few, and I played the game only this year. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the game isn’t incredible, but aside from the final scene on the river bank I find it slightly less memorable. It didn’t have such a huge impact on my as COD did, which I think is the measure of a game.. Yes, you can argue that tastes were simpler back in 2003 and it’s without doubt that MW2 is the better game by today’s standards, but COD was so memorable in comparison to the other FPSs of the time that I’m forced to come to the following conclusion:

Call of Duty vs. Modern Warfare 2

The winner, due to the memorability of the single player and impact it had on the Call of Duty franchise:

Call of Duty!

Now, I know I will have annoyed a few people with this conclusion, and it’s difficult to see how MW2 didn’t win, but for me, at the launch of COD back in 2003 there really wasn’t anything any better.

The first person shooter genre is a fierce battleground at the moment within gaming. No single game can sit comfortably at the top, as the title of ‘gamer favourite’ is hotly contested. I’ve loved playing through Call of Duty: Black Ops, have returned to Medal of Honour countless times over the last few weeks, and yet will keep finding myself returning to Battlefield Bad Company 2 for the multiplayer. If you’re considering getting stuck in but are having trouble deciding what to go for, allow me to make that decision a little easier for you.

Whilst Call of Duty may have the crazy (and some would say unrealistic) storyline and events in single player, it can feel somewhat ridiculous at times, so it’s great to take time out to play more of a combat simulation such as Medal of Honor.

In MoH, you become part of a little known squad of handpicked warriors completing missions of the utmost urgency and of course, failure is not an option. Fighting your way through Taliban strongholds in the mountains of Afghanistan, you really get to know the warriors in your squad and, although it’s just a game, you start to worry about how they are doing in the firefight. On top of this, there is a battle scene that will simply take your breath away, but you’ll have to play it to find out what I’m talking about.

So if this is something you want to get involved with then here’s what you need to do. As always with Free Game Friday, you have two chances to enter. For your first entry, simply retweet the following post on Twitter: Tweet this

For the second entry, leave a comment on this post to the following question:

I’ve been playing first person shooters since Castle Wolfenstein was first released. My home PC (no less than a 386) managed to cope fairly easily with this, but I’ve enjoyed seeing the games progress as the hardware has become available. So the question is, what first person shooter have you most enjoyed playing?

Let me know what you think, it’d be great to see what you guys have come up with and hey, you may even win a top PC game for your troubles.